Cigars also known as “puros” or by its place of origin “habanos” are cigars made from rolled tobacco leaves without the use of wrapping paper.
The main place of origin of cigars is Cuba, a country in which apart from its lands, special weather conditions such as temperature and humidity take place.
Cigar Smoking requires certain tobacco conditions to be able to sense its organic features specially the aroma as well as to be able to consume it trouble free and effortless.
However, exporting and consuming cigars in different parts of the world other that the place of origin where environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity differ from the latter, requires appropriate protection during the process of transport and storage at the tobacconists prior to be purchased by the final consumer as well as the consumer itself.
Tobacco shops would normally be fitted with big humidors (whether a room or furniture) providing special conditions of temperature and humidity.
On the consumer side the industrial approach of building a room or buying furniture to keep cigars becomes unsuitable, therefore preserving cigars would require the use of smaller humidors such as a wooden box type furniture with a humidifying system, consisting of a wet sponge that would keep suitable conditions of Cigars prior to consumption. This system requires periodical water replacement and for that the system includes a hygrometer indicating the humidity level inside.
Additionally, certain types of portable humidors are in use by consumers when carrying cigars from their homes to a different place of consumption. These small sized leather cases generally allowing 1 to 3 cigars do not contain a humidifying system as such, although a few improvements has been done the matter. The effectiveness of these portable items lie on the leather isolation preventing or delaying the cigar to get dry therefore these shall not be considered as humidors as such. Samples of these improved items can be found under U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,889 or Utility Model 9900653 or under U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,934.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,934 consists of a portable cigar humidifying device, joined in two sections, lower and upper sections, with a guillotine cigar cutter attached on top of the upper section. The device contains a humidifying device consisting of a storage area of adequate size inside the upper section, in which a sponge previously wet is introduced in the storage area and via which humidity is transpired thru small holes.
However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,934 does not claim a double chamber humidor and provides certain inconveniences typical of these type of humidors such as placing the humidifying device to one end of the humidifying tube, unable to be completely watertight, lack of a double chamber system and last but not least requiring the opening of the cigar compartment in order to replace the humidifying liquid. Also, the patent presents the humidifying device at one end, which destroys the cigar due to uneven humidifying effect. Besides that, the device is not built with a double chamber allowing perfect cigar wetting and it is not watertight, thus producing variable humidity and requiring replacement of the liquid. Further, the user must open the cigar container to check humidity level, therefore reducing the appropriate level of such parameter.
On the other hand, portable cigar tubes or personal cigar holders can be found with a humidification system on one end consisting on a sponge releasing humidity inside the tube. Although these devices provide humidity to cigars, they do not guarantee ideal levels of humidity for correct cigar conservation. An example of such device is represented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,277 or Utility Model 8601104.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,839 describes a cigar flavoring device, consisting of an external transparent and tight housing plus a humidifying device. Inside the external housing an internal housing is found to place cigars, half the length of the external housing and smaller in perimeter compared to the outer housing. Beneath the inner housing a humidifying device is placed with a sponge or similar item on a multiple orifice surface. This section beneath the inner housing is solid, thus preventing humidity released by the humidifying device to reach the inner side of cigars. Humidity drains thru the hole left in the tray where cigars rests and the walls of the outer housing, so as to create a uniform flavoring process for the cigars.
This patent, however, lacks a double chamber device, so that U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,839 as well as U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,277 or Utility Model 8601104 with a sponge as a source of humidity in one end, destroys cigars due to the unequal humidification. The concentrated and excessive levels of humidity on one of the cigar, produces swelling in this end of the cigar, as well as creating a humidity defect on the rest of the cigar. Considering that U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,839 is not an actual humidor, but a flavoring device, the harmful effect over cigars is identical, since the height of each side of the tray where the cigars rest only prevents aroma and humidity from directly reaching the cigar base. Thus, there is an uneven flavoring and humidification of cigars.
The optimum conditions for cigar preservation are temperatures between 18-22 degrees Celsius in a 65-75% humidity level environment, with an even and gentle yet slow moisturizing process all around the cigar to avoid destruction due to excess of humidity.
So, to prevent humidification issues typical with these known portable tubes, the present application describes a double chamber humidifying tube, supplying gentle, steady, and even humidity thanks to its double chamber, allowing dried cigars to recover. Keeping appropriate humidity levels require only replacing water as the sponge dries up, without prior verification of water level or constant opening of the cigar container.
Also, the upper transparent section allows visual inspection of the cigars, the ring and the cigar brand, representing in overall a new development unknown till today with many advantages on its marketing and advertising functions. Although U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,839 details a transparent container, the device holds a few inconveniences such as a complete cigar exposure that may be harmed by sunlight and purposes since its goal is the observation of number of cigars contained and the flavoring process, but not necessarily expressing the level of flavoring.